Philip Touzeau is pursued down a slope at Delancey Park by Richard Stapley. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0657500)

A FANTASTIC sprint finish, bumper entry and a potential diamond of a new course at Delancey made for a very satisfying first race in the GIAAC’s 2008 OSA Recruitment Winter Cross-country League.

Steve Dawes, who has made a habit of winning this series in recent years, had to utilise all his finishing speed to hold off veteran Alan Rowe by a stride.

And like many, Dawes loved the new course set over one mile of parkland and raved about the circuit being used for the first time.

‘It was brilliant,’ said Dawes, whose winning time for the three-mile race was 15min. 25sec. ‘It has lots of twists and turns and steep climbs to test you,’ he added, while he might also have mentioned that it offered spectators a view over much of the proceedings without having to move.

With Lee Merrien away and preparing for an appearance at next week’s big Great South Run, a tight race at the head of the field was always in prospect.